If I was interviewing you for a job working for my law firm, one thing I would evaluate is your attitude. What would I see in you?
Is it:
- “I’ll try.” Hmm, not too promising. It’s better than, “I won’t try,” but not much. Was this your attitude when you enrolled in law school? How about when you got married? Sorry, I’m looking for someone with a stronger commitment to success.
- “I’ll do my best.” Ah, much better. But what if your best isn’t good enough? Will you put your ego aside and ask for help? Will you work hard to improve your skills? Will you make your best even better?
- “I’ll do whatever it takes.” Now that’s the attitude I’m looking for. It tells me you’ll work hard, stay late and come in early. You’ll do what is expected of you and a lot more. You won’t let obstacles get in your way, you’ll overcome them. I can count on you to do the job and stick around for the long haul. If you’re willing to do whatever it takes, I’m willing to invest in you.
When someone’s attitude says they’ll try, what they’re really saying is that if they don’t like it, or it’s too hard, or they find something they like better, they’re going to quit. Yes, that could be true of anyone, but when you start out with that attitude, it does not bode well for your future. Why should I choose you when someone else has a much better attitude?
An employer–or a spouse, law partner, or business partner–is looking for commitment. They’re looking for someone who will do, “whatever it takes” to make their relationship a success.
So, take a look in the mirror. What is your attitude towards your legal career? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be successful?
Would you hire you?
If you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make your practice a success, you need The Attorney Marketing Formula.
All things equal, I agree that number three sounds the best. However, I have had employees who presented with an attitude similar to that of three, and they’ve been blowhards without substance. I’ve also hired versions of 1 and 2 who, because of experience or intelligence gave that answer with additional qualifications.
One example is when I hired our lead designer. I asked if he could take our current designs, of which we had approximately 22 representing months of work by his predecessors, and iterate on and improve them. He said “I’ll try,” but explained some serious limitations we had baked into the system. He went on to describe his vision of the future gold standard in law firm sites and blogs. We hired him, scrapped our old system entirely, delayed launch for about six months, and now we have something a heck of a lot better than an ‘I will try.’
I was looking for an employee who would bring innovation and reflection to our company, and I’m not so sure I would have gotten it had I hired the guy who claimed he’d move heaven and earth to do what I wanted. I was asking the wrong question, but ended up with a better than expected result.
I think the tone is as important as the words, and if the spirit of the above three responses can be conveyed with a thoughtful analysis of the potential clients case, most lawyers who use a version of number three will consistently close more sales.
Very thoughtful comment, Dan. We do want to encourage our hires to think for themselves and be candid with us.
I have hired people who might not have had been “good enough” in a classical sense but won me over with their enthusiasm or ideas. Attitude does have a contextual element and, as you point out, their tone is often an important indicator.